Remus Lupin had always been a calm man. There had been numerous instances in his twenty one year-old life when the wolf within his mind had wanted to rage and storm. But Remus, the man, had always overcome the wolf and maintained calm.
But presently, as he paced around Dumbledore's office, the rage and anger threatened to overtake him. The wolf was baying for blood – Sirius' blood.
He tried to reason with himself. The Sirius he knew would have given up his life for James. James was more of a brother to Sirius than Regulus had ever been. James was family to Sirius! The Potters had taken Sirius in, treated him as their own son. James had stood by Sirius' side since their very first night at Hogwarts. So how on earth had Sirius even had the heart to betray James?
James – ever caring, courageous, who loved Lily and Harry more than life itself and perhaps, loved Sirius just as much.
James... James...
Remus' entire body shook with sobs. Sitting in James' compartment in the Hogwarts Express, on the first day of school, had probably been the best decision of his life.
They were the Marauders! They were brothers! They'd sworn to stand by the other until the very last breath they took! Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail—Wormy—Peter!
How had Sirius killed Peter? How had he killed the boy they'd always protected from bullying Slytherins? How could Sirius break every single vow of loyalty and friendship that the four of them had sworn together?
And Marlene? The love of Sirius' life! The girl who'd loved him unconditionally! Remus trembled with anger and grief again, as he thought of Marlene. The Daily Prophet had stated that she was killed on Sirius' orders. But how had Sirius even thought of killing the girl he'd loved since he was fourteen?
Marlene McKinnon – Blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and a classic pure-blood beauty – was everything one could ever want in a girl.
And she wasn't only a beauty, but very wise, too, but Remus liked her most for her caring and loving nature. She had been there for Sirius when he was going through the worst phase of his life. When Sirius had run away from Grimmauld place, despite the Potters supporting him, he had felt lonely and unloved. It was then that Marlene had finally started dating him, after two years of their horrendous bickering and fighting. She had brought Sirius out of his misery probably even better than the Marauders could have, brought stability to his reckless attitude, and given him the one thing he had always wanted – love.
And Remus had always thought that Sirius would have rather died than let Marlene ever face any harm. But the traitor had ordered death eaters to kill her! To kill the one girl he had sworn to love, protect and cherish!
And Larissa? The little girl whom Marley loved more than life itself? She was missing!
Remus wondered over what could have happened to Larissa, shuddering as he did so, each scenario seeming even worse than the previous one.
What if the Death Eaters had killed her off? Larissa was the daughter of two blood-traitors, of two purebloods, who had refused to join Voldemort, refused to believe in the Dark side's blood supremacist and bigoted views. At least Marlene certainly had, thought Remus, now doubting whether Sirius had ever been the man he had portrayed himself to be. But never mind that, the Death Eaters had enough reasons to kill Larissa.
Or even worse, what if they had taken her to bring her up as a Dark witch? What if she would rise up a decade later with maniacal and violent tendencies like Bellatrix Lestrange?
Thinking of Bellatrix sent another shudder down Remus' spine. Bellatrix loved playing with her prey before she finished them off. She loved any and every form of torture. Even thinking of how she could've tortured little Larissa made Remus' insides churn with fear.
No!
NO!
He couldn't think negatively! James would certainly have smacked him hard on the head if he knew the pessimistic thoughts that were taking hold of his mind. But there was no James, now, he realised with a fresh stab of pain. There was no James to confide his fears in, no Peter to make him laugh at his clumsiness, and no Sirius to—No! He wouldn't think of Sirius! He just wouldn't! Thinking of the traitor made the wolf within him boil with anger again...
Harry...Larissa... All Remus had to do, now, was to ascertain the whereabouts of the two children and give them what their parents would have given them – love, affection and security.
But where was Harry? Harry had survived, McGonagall had assured him of that. But Remus had no idea where he was. And Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen, as well! Remus had been pacing in Dumbledore's office since the past forty minutes; and his hitherto infinite patience was now wearing thin.
Forty minutes! Each minute, each second he spent in the office was one he could have better spent in searching for Larissa.
Damn! He had half a mind to destroy all of Dumbledore's instruments lying on the table to give an outlet to his rage.
He sunk onto a chair, burying his face in his hands, when suddenly, Fawkes appeared right in front of him with Dumbledore clutching on to his tail wings.
"Remus! How are you, my boy? When did you get here?" said Albus, none of the usual twinkle in his eyes.
But Remus didn't care about the pleasantries.
"Where's Harry? And Larissa? McGonagall refused to tell me anything! She told me to ask you!" he said urgently.
Dumbledore sighed heavily before replying. "Harry is at Lily's sister's house. She will take care of him."
Remus' mouth fell open.
"He's—where? At Lily's sister—at Petunia Dursley's house? Have you lost your mind, Albus?"
Remus' uncharacteristic bellow of rage seemed to surprise Dumbledore.
"Petunia hates Magic!" Remus continued, as Dumbledore made no move to respond to him.
"She hates Lily! She'll never care for Harry, Albus! He'll live a miserable life with Petunia! And Harry's James son for Merlin's sake! He'll probably tie with Larissa for the most pampered child in history! You can't let him stay with the Dursleys—I'll—I'll take him! James would've wanted that—"
"Calm down, Remus," said Dumbledore softly. "The Dursleys are the only relatives Harry has. And you have no legal rights to Harry. You are neither his relative nor his guardian nor his Godfather. And trust me, as long as Harry stays with Petunia, no one can harm him. Lily gave her life for Harry. And with Petunia being her sister, the blood wards won't let any harm befall Harry as long as he consider Petunia's house as his home—"
"Albus! You just don't understand! Petunia will ill-treat him! Lily told us how her sister is when it comes to Magic. She won't care for Harry. Please, Albus. If not for Harry, at least for Lily and James' sake, let me take care of Harry," he tried to reason with Dumbledore.
"Don't you trust me, Remus?" sighed the Headmaster. "And forgive my harsh words, but you are a Werewolf. Do you think the magical world will react favourably when they know that their saviour is living with a Werewolf? Do you think wizarding families won't protest? And even if he stays with you, what about the full moon nights? Who will take care of Harry? And Petunia has a son who is just a month older than Harry. She knows how to take care of a child."
"Albus—" Remus tried to object, but Dumbledore cut him off in mid-sentence.
"Voldemort is not completely vanquished. He will come back. Maybe not now, but a few years into the future, he will certainly be back. And the only way to ensure Harry's safety is to make him stay with the Dursleys. And I know that Harry's safety is paramount for you."
Remus had no objection to this. Harry's safety was paramount. Remus wouldn't let Lily and James' sacrifice go in vain. He would protect Harry even if he had to give his own life for it.
"Okay," he muttered in reluctant agreement after a long moment of thinking it over. "Now, tell me where Larissa is."
Dumbledore sighed again, sensing another long argument in the offing. "She's in a Muggle orphanage"
"WHAT!" exclaimed Remus. "You put her- Larissa...in an orphanage? She's Marlene's daughter! A Muggle orphanage of all places! This is not done! This is just not done! I'll take care of her! I'll think of some way to take care of her during the full moon—"
"Remus," Dumbledore interrupted his tirade. "Larissa is a Black. She's the heiress to the House of Black, to be precise. And Walb—"
"Exactly!" Remus cut him off. "She's a Black, like Andromeda Tonks! Andromeda will take care of her! She knows how to take care of a child. And she loved Sirius! She'll definitely agree to take in Larissa! And she knows Larissa's quite well, Albus—Marlene and Sirius used to leave Larissa at Andromeda's house when they went for Order missions—you were the one who suggested that Andromeda's place would be safe for Larissa! She'll take care of her...and Ted Tonks, as well...and little Nymphadora...Larissa won't get a better family than them—"
"And what do you think Walburga will do when she knows Larissa is living the Tonks?" asked Dumbledore calmly. "Will she let her pureblood granddaughter, the only heir in the male line to the Black fortune, stay with the niece she blasted off the family tree? Will she let Larissa live with the Muggleborn Ted Tonks? The moment Walburga knows of this, she will take custody of Larissa. And under Wizarding law, we cannot stop her, Remus. She is Larissa's closest living relative. Nobody from the McKinnon family survives—"
"But—"
"Larissa doesn't even have godparents, now that James and Lily are no more," persisted Dumbledore. "So, Walburga can legally claim guardianship of Larissa. Do you want Marlene's only child to be brought up at Grimmauld Place? She will grow up thinking Dark magic is a way of life—"
"That's not—"
"You know how Sirius' childhood was. You know how bad a mother Walburga was to him. We can't have Larissa's childhood go the same way, Remus...with being subjected to dark magic for disobeying Walburga."
Remus sighed, hating that he could see sense in Dumbledore's words.
"And Larissa faces danger not just from Walburga, but from the other members of the Black family, as well," went on Dumbledore. "Arcturus and Pollux, Sirius' grandfathers – won't they want Larissa? Think about it, my boy. And then, there are the Malfoys. You know of the enmity between Sirius and Lucius—"
"What enmity, Albus?" cried Remus. "Sirius was one of them! The enmity may have been an act for all we know!"
"Even supposing it was an act, wouldn't Lucius want charge of Larissa? She is the heiress to the Blacks, their fortune and legacy. Every surviving Blacks would want her. You know how the Blacks reacted to Sirius running away from home when he was sixteen, don't you? They will use Larissa to redeem the wrongs that Sirius committed. She will grow up and betray her friends like Sirius did. They will bring her up to be a perfect Black, self-serving, insensitive and violent, a firm believer in blood supremacy. Would Marlene have wanted this for her daughter?"
"You're Dumbledore for Merlin's sake!" growled Remus. "Don't tell me you can't find a way out of this, Albus!"
"I cannot circumvent the laws, Remus," replied Dumbledore. "I cannot stop the Blacks from filing a petition with the Wizengamot for Larissa's custody. And the laws state that wardship of an orphan goes to either of her godparents, the Head of the House that the child belongs to, or the eldest surviving blood relative, in that order—"
"Moody," said Remus suddenly. "He's related to the McKinnons—the eldest relative from Marlene's side. He can take care of Larissa—"
"But Arcturus is her great-grandfather," said Dumbledore. "By virtue of him being her Head of House and a direct relation from her father's side, Alastor won't have a chance at her guardianship at all!"
"I know how badly Arcturus longs for an heir," he continued. "With no chances of a direct descendant in the male line, now, he would prefer Larissa as his heir than Lucius Malfoy's son inheriting the Lordship. And if Arcturus does get wardship of Acquila – which he certainly will – you know very well of how she will be brought up...like Sirius was, like Regulus Black was. She will be betrothed to some pureblood before she even turns six. She might be married off at twelve like Pollux Black was! For all you know, she might just turn into the next Bellatrix Lestrange. And I have sensed the power that little girl carries, my boy. It won't take much on the Blacks' part to turn Larissa into a Dark witch to be reckoned with."
Remus was lost for words. Even thinking of Larissa being brought up the way Sirius was tore at his heart.
"But why a Muggle orphanage?" he sighed finally. "Is there no better alternative? I'll move out of Britain with Larissa and keep her hidden, rather than her being brought up in an orphanage."
"Trust me, Remus," said Dumbledore. "What I am doing is for the greater good. It is for the best – for both Harry and Larissa. I only have their best interests at heart. Do you think I wish for them to be harmed?"
Remus had nothing to say to that. If being away from Larissa and Harry would guarantee their safety, he would abide by Dumbledore's decisions, no matter how much it hurt him to stay away from the two kids he'd come to love since the time he'd first held them in St. Mungos.
"But the Blacks—they'll search for Larissa," Remus said suddenly.
"I will take care of that," Dumbledore responded. "I will see to it that people think Larissa is dead. Her name will be changed, and she will not attend Hogwarts, I am already in close contact with Madame Maxine. Minister Bagnold has already been taken into confidence...the files will remain classified, with the only people knowing of this being Bagnold, Alastor Moody, Minerva, you and I—"
"Dead?" gasped Remus. "But that's—"
"It is for the best, Remus," said Dumbledore grimly. "Alastor is already putting the plan into action. An unclaimed body of a young child from a Muggle morgue, a few glamour charms to make the body seem like Larissa's , and she will be dead to the Wizarding world. The body will be discovered by the Aurors. Alastor, being the Head Auror, will see to it that no questions are raised regarding Larissa's fake body. And the news will be out in tomorrow's edition of the Daily Prophet. A few spells will lead to the process of sending Larissa to the orphanage speeding up. And a few Muggle law enforcement officers will have to be Obliviated. And like I said I will have her name changed in the Muggle records," finished Dumbledore as if having a living girl declared dead was an everyday matter.
"No," said Remus firmly. "Don't change her name—please. Marlene and Siri—him...they'd decided on the name when they knew they were expecting a girl...and Marlene loved the name" he rambled, each word he uttered about Marlene making him even more aware of how much he would miss the witch.
"Please let Larissa keep her name, Albus...She needs to have at least something of her parents—of her mother, rather," he amended, preferring having Larissa as less a link to Sirius, as was possible.
"I'll let her keep her name, then," said Dumbledore after a moment of pondering. "It is not a common Muggle name...but it will do. But I cannot let her retain her last name, Remus. The lesser she has to do with the Blacks, the better. And on the off chance that the Blacks enquire about in the Muggle world, it will be harder to locate Larissa if she doesn't have the name 'Black'."
"Okay. And you'll make sure she has the stuffed stag that James had given her, won't you?" Remus mumbled, remembering Larissa squealing as she sat on James' back when he had transformed into the Stag, remembering James sitting still as she played with his antlers, remembering her giggling happily when James had gifted her a miniature, stuffed version of his Animagus form.
"And the book of Muggle fairytales that Lily had given her," he continued, as he remembered him reading out the tales to Larissa and Harry, the two kids listening to him with rapt attention, as if they understood every single word that he read out from 'Cinderella'.
Dumbledore nodded.
"And—and the bracelet on Larissa's wrist," exclaimed Remus suddenly. "It's a McKinnon family heirloom...Larissa's name is engraved on it...a gift from Marlene's parents...you can't take off the bracelet...it's charmed...only Marlene and Sirius could have taken it off...so—so you'll have to keep it with her."
"Alright," Dumbledore nodded, only for Remus to start speaking again.
"And Harry—you can send Paddy...I mean, the stuffed toy Dog...Harry—he—he never used to be able to fall asleep without it," said Remus, remembering Lily putting a little Harry to sleep with the Dog clutched in his tiny hands, close to his chest, remembering Harry's childish babble as he spoke something indecipherable to the toy Dog.
"And his clothes and—"
"I am sorry, Remus," said Dumbledore softly. "I am afraid none of Harry's things survive. The nursery is where Voldemort perished, and most of the things there have been reduced to smithereens from the force of the Curse."
Remus face contorted into an extremely pained expression. He remembered helping James decorate the Nursery when the Potters had shifted to the house in Godric's Hollow from Potter Manor, remembered how James had painted numerous snitches on the wall that would keep flitting from one end of the wall to the other, in the hopes that it would lead to Harry becoming a great Seeker when he grew up.
Remus said nothing for a long, long moment, till he finally spoke again.
"Can I at least visit Harry at the Dursleys?"
"I would rather you do not, Remus," replied Dumbledore. "As you told me, Petunia is rather wary of magic, and the presence of a fully-grown wizard might not go down well with her—"
"Just once, Albus! I just need to make sure that Harry's okay."
"I am afraid I have to be firm on this, Remus. We cannot have you jeopardising Harry's life with the Dursleys by your sudden presence there."
Remus bit down on the rather rude retort that was yearning to escape his lips.
"Can you at least tell me which orphanage Larissa is in? I'll just see how she is. Discreetly. I won't reveal who I am, I swear! But let me at least assure myself that she is well taken care of," he said gruffly.
"And I am firm on this, Albus," the Werewolf continued. "You've put the child in an orphanage, not even with blood relatives like Harry is. I need to ensure that she is well cared for."
The steely glint in Remus' eyes made it clear that this was one matter he wouldn't bend on.
Dumbledore grabbed a piece of parchment from the table and with a flick of his wand, an address appeared on it. He wordlessly handed it over to the Werewolf, who, realising that there was nothing more to be said on the matter, made to leave.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Remus," Dumbledore called out to his retreating figure. "Not just James, Lily, Peter and Marlene, but Harry and Larissa, too. I know you would have loved them as much as their parents would have. But their safety and the greater good of the Wizarding community at large is more important."
"I understand, Albus. Their safety is what matters the most. If Harry and Larissa being away from me is the price that I have to pay for keeping them safe, I am ready to do so," Remus said grimly, but realising that Dumbledore did have a point, no matter how much he disagreed with his measures.
"Take care of yourself, Remus. Give yourself time to grieve. And if you need anything, I am always here for my former students," said Dumbledore.
Remus nodded in reply, "Thank you, Albus... for everything."
The next morning, a copy of the Daily Prophet lay unfurled on Remus Lupin's bedside table.
HEIRESS TO THE BLACK FAMILY FORTUNE FOUND DEAD IN A MUGGLE STREET ALONG SIDE HER DECEASED MOTHER; MARLENE BLACK.
In a sad tale of events, the bodies of both Larissa Black and her mother Marlene Black, were found brutally murdered not far from their large family home, which they shared with the aristocratic son of Walburga and Orion Black. Not much can be said about Sirius Black for he lays in a cell he belongs in after murdering 13 muggles.
The wolfs eyes skimmed over the rest very lightly, before skipping to the end to catch the name of the witch or wizard that had published the article.
-Report by senior correspondent Eleanor O'Brein
'That makes sense' he thought grimly.
*
Three days after Marlene's funeral, the oldest of the black brothers lay silently in one of the haunting cells of Azkaban. His mind kept replaying the moment he let Peter slip under his nose, grief and anger filling him for a brief moment before it evaporated away, the dementors were keeping him on a fine line between life and death, his mind and body both numb to a point of not knowing the difference between reality and his subconscious.
Peter Pettigrew, the man who wouldn't have known one end of his wand from the other had out-dueled him. How could he have let this happen? He was Sirius Black, a fully trained Auror, whom many people expected to take over from Mad-Eye Moody as the Head of the Auror Department some day, thanks to his brilliant dueling skills and fearless attitude.
But grief and rage had overtaken his dueling; and the bastard, Pettigrew had managed to escape, pinning the entire blame on Sirius. Why had none of them realised that Peter was the spy? How could Sirius have even been suspicious of Moony? Why couldn't he have been Secret Keeper himself rather than telling James to give Peter the responsibility?
If he was right it must have been about a week since he arrived in the definition of hell, the lack of a trial pissed him off to great lengths and the injustice of it all made him almost want give up. The lifeless images of James and Lily plagued his memories every time he closed his eyes. The only thing that kept him sane in Azkaban was hoping that his wife and daughter would be safe. He knew Marley wouldn't let him rot in Azkaban. She would be determined to get him out of prison. And when Marlene was determined enough, no force on earth could stop her from getting to her goal.
Sirius lay awake staring at the low ceiling of his tiny cell when he heard footsteps. Not the firm footsteps of Aurors, but lady-like footsteps of someone who had been brought up to run a manor, a true lady. He could hear firmer footsteps, too – no doubt an Auror escorting the lady.
Sirius stood quickly his eyes wide and peering down the dark hallway. Was it Marlene? The footsteps didn't sound like those of his wife, but a man could always hope, couldn't he?
"Narcissa." Came a regal voice from the opposing cell. His heart weighed down just a little bit more and he groaned internally, not only did he have to suffer being in Azkaban, he had his deranged cousin Bellatrix throwing sarcastic remarks at him constantly. The owner of two pairs of feet came into view. It was Narsicca Malfoy, accompanied by an Auror.
"You have only five minutes, Mrs. Malfoy," said the Auror. "I'll be waiting out for you."
"'Cissy, I hope you've found a way to get me out of here." Her voice was low and almost venomous.
"Forget it Bella your not getting out of here anytime soon you crazy bitch"
"Fuck off Sirius, I'm disgusted I even have to talk to you, Narcissa answer me"
"No Bella, Lucius has tried everything, there not letting go of this, with the dark Lord gone they've taken back power, your in here for life" her voice broke slightly at the end.
"Can pretty boy not help this time bells" Sirius cooed in a mocking voice. "Where's Voldemort now Bella" her face hardened and her eyes narrowed.
"How dare you say the Dark Lords name, how dare you speak his name on your dirty lips, you disgusting blood traitor" her voice was starting to rise and Narcissa rolled her eyes slightly.
"Enough, Bella! I do not have much time. I have come here to talk to you, not to listen to you squabble with Sirius—with him," she said firmly, not meeting Sirius' eyes.
Bellatrix sneered at Sirius and turned her attention to Narcissa.
Sirius tuned out their voices, not interested in their sisterly talk. He wondered how Narcissa had been allowed to see Bellatrix when Marlene hadn't been to Azkaban to see him yet. Lucius Malfoy had probably bribed the authorities with a few galleons from his vast Malfoy fortune.
"Narcissa!" he exclaimed suddenly, realising that his estranged cousin could tell him about Marlene and Harry. "Is Harry safe with Marlene?"
She ignored him.
"They must have definitely written something in the Prophet about Harry!" persisted Sirius desperately. "And your all-knowing husband would surely know where Harry is—and—and why hasn't Marlene been here to see me?"
Narcissa ignored him again, but Sirius refused to give up. He kept badgering her, needing to know if they were fine, when the Auror entered the dingy corridor again his cries grew more persistent.
"Time is up, Mrs. Malfoy. You have to leave," he said gruffly.
Narcissa started walking back to the stone door.
"Please, Narcissa!" said Sirius, his face close to the bars, as close as he could get to her.
"Even you have a child of your own! Can't you understand why I want to know how Harry is? How Larissa is! What if it was Draco? Wouldn't you have wanted to know where he is?" he cried earnestly, but she still continued walking as if she hadn't heard him.
"Please—Harry's as good as my son! Please—Cissy," Sirius called out, the childhood nickname tumbling out of his mouth inadvertently.
It was at the 'Cissy' that Narcissa stopped in her tracks, turning around to face Sirius, meeting his desperate eyes with her cold, inscrutable ones.
"Potter is not with them," she said, her voice no more than a whisper. "Dumbledore has taken care of him. Your wife and child were killed some time after the Potters were killed by the Dark Lord," she finished, before disappearing through the door.
The world froze for a second for Sirius, and you could hear a pin drop. He slowly collapsed down on to the ground his back sliding down the brick wall, not a sound.
"I'm sorry" was all she said before the heels faded off into the distance.
Bellatrix wanted to say something, her mind jumping to anything to aggravate her cousin, but all that came out was "let's hope for your sake and your daughters sake that she is dead, if walburga, Orion or anyone from The Circle catch wind she's still alive, well it won't go down very well, let's put it that way.
But Sirius heard no more. He had lost his family, his friends, his everything. He had nothing to live for now. With Larissa, Marlene and James gone, life had no meaning for him anymore. Bellatrix had gone silent now and he was left alone with his own thoughts.
*
Meanwhile, somewhere in Surrey, Remus, under the Disillusionment Charm walked towards a large beautiful building with a vast lawn in front of it.
He stepped in silently, looking into all the rooms as discreetly as he could.
He had to see her once before leaving for Ireland. He had to make sure she was being taken care of.
After searching for her in most of the rooms, he finally spotted her sitting in the playroom, surrounded by dolls, the stag that James had given her clutched in her tiny hands. A woman was playing with her and it seemed like Larissa was enjoying her company because she giggled happily at something the woman said.
His feet moved forward of their own accord, the wolf within him calling out to the child, to the young one it considered as its own. He felt an urge to go and pick her up and talk to her. He knew Larissa would recognise him now. She would leap into his arms, calling out, "Uncle Moony! Uncle Moony!"
But he stopped suddenly, realising that he couldn't show himself to Larissa, couldn't get her hopes high that he would take her with him, only to have them dashed and leave her at the orphanage. He forced himself to walk backwards, when he saw Larissa's face suddenly look up, her grey eyes looking exactly at where he stood.
"Moony?" she said in her sweet voice, her eyes darting over where he stood, as if she knew he was there.
"Uncle Moony?" she said again, and then stood up, putting down the dolls, only the Stag in her hand.
"Where are you going, love?" asked the woman, who had been talking and playing with Larissa.
"Look it's Uncle Moony!" said Larissa again, pointing at where a disillusioned Remus stood.
And as she took a few steps forward, Remus stood rooted to the spot, his hands extending themselves of their own accord, to gather the child in his arms.
But he realised with a jolt that he couldn't let that happen, especially not in front of the Muggle woman.
He walked backwards swiftly, his eyes drinking in the sight of the little girl walking towards him, as if she knew he was invisible and she could feel him only with her hands.
"Moony! Moo—" she stopped abruptly, as she tripped on a building block that lay on the floor, and fell onto her knees, the sharp edge of the block scraping the back of her leg.
Her lip began to quiver, and a moment later, Larissa let out a loud wail.
"MUMMY!" she shrieked. "MUMMY! Daddy!"
Remus rushed forward to lift up the wailing child, but before he reached her, the kind-faced woman had swiftly reached her and gathered her in her arms.
"It'll be okay, love! I'll put on some ointment and it'll be alright," said the lady, as Larissa's tear-filled eyes gazed into the woman's brown ones, though she continued wailing.
"Come on, darling. I'll take you in, and put on the ointment and kiss it all better...will that do?" asked the woman, as she made to carry Larissa into an inner room.
"Kiss it?" said Larissa m suddenly, her sobbing ceasing. "When I fall mummy kisses it—and the pain goes away" she said, and she suddenly smiled, clapping her hands.
But a mere moment later, her smile vanished.
"Where's Mummy? Where's Daddy? Harry?" Larissa demanded in a rather majestic tone that Remus thought would have made her Black ancestors proud of her.
"I want Mummy!"Larissa said firmly, and Remus could sense the tantrum coming when the woman wouldn't be able to give Larissa her Mother. Larissa had been rather spoilt by Sirius. Remus knew that if she had asked for the moon and the stars, Sirius would have probably done something to get them to her. He was that doting a father—No! No! That had all been an act, thought Remus. If Sirius had been a good father, he wouldn't have had Marlene killed...wouldn't have had Harry orphaned.
"I want Mummy!" Larissa's demanding voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"I can't get you your Mummy, darling," said the lady softly. "How about you go play with little Robin?"
"No!" Larissa pouted, her lip quivering again. "No Robin! Want Mama!"
"I can't bring your Mamma to you, love—"
"NOOO! WANT Mummy!" shrieked Larissa, before her screams gave way to full-blown wails again. She flailed about in the woman's arms as the woman walked towards the room, struggling to keep hold on the child.
Remus' breath hitched in his throat, a shudder running through him.
Larissa had been extremely attached to Marlene, since she was the one who used to be home with her all day while Sirius was out on Auror missions. How would the girl even live without her mother? How would she grow up without Marlene to take care of her, to sing her lullabies, to hold her hand while she walked, to kiss her bruises when she fell?
"Moony! Want Mummy!" said Larissa between her screams, though Remus knew she couldn't see him from where she lay held in the woman's arms, if Larissa could indeed see through his disillusionment charm, that is.
"Uncle Moony!" cried Larissa again. "I want harry! I want Daddy!"
Larissa's wails grew distant as the woman finally stepped into the inner room, while Remus stood rooted to the spot, her wails still echoing in his ears.
He walked out of the room swiftly, before he made good on his urge to rush in and take Larissa away with him.
How had things changed to this extent with a matter of a few days? One man's mistake, one man's betrayal had cost them all so much! Harry had been orphaned! And Larissa was as good as an orphan now! Even if Sirius ever managed to be reduce his life imprisonment into something lesser (which he certainly wouldn't), the Wizengamot would never allow a child to live with the murderer of thirteen people. And Sirius was just as much dead to Larissa as Marlene was. The only one person that remained for Larissa, was Remus himself, with Alice and Frank having been tortured into insanity.
And suddenly, Remus' heart broke all over again at the realisation that a few weeks later, as Larissa would grow up, she would forget all about him. She wouldn't remember the times he took care of her when Sirius and Marlene went out on tasks for the Order of the Phoenix. She wouldn't remember anything of her Uncle Moony, who brought her chocolate frogs, that she loved to chase as they hopped away.
Larissa crying for Marlene had reminded him of her funeral. There hadn't been a single person at the funeral, that hadn't been teary-eyed. Marlene was well-loved and respected by all of Wizarding Britain.
Damn! What had Sirius done? Remus cursed Sirius repeatedly for everything...the Potters' deaths, Marlene and Peter's deaths, Larissa living in the orphanage... and Remus being left all alone. The Marauders were as good as his family. And now he was the only Marauder left. He wouldn't even give Sirius the honour of being called a Marauder.
There was nothing left for him in England now...nothing at all. He had no one left there whom he could call his friend or family. Perhaps, living in a new land with strangers would take the bad memories off his mind gradually. He would start a new life abroad, in Ireland.
And hopefully, with time, the image of Larissa crying for her Mother – which seemed to be have been engraved into his mind – would fade away, leaving only the memories of the happier times that he had spent with Harry and her.